THE FINANCIER
On the morning of this day, according to Stener, he had
sent Cowperwood a letter ordering him to cease pur-
chasing city loan certificates for the sinking-fund. It
was after their conversation on the same afternoon that
Cowperwood surreptitiously secured the check for sixty
thousand dollars from Albert Stires without his (Stener's)
knowledge; and it was subsequent to this latter again
that Stener, sending Albert to demand the return of the
check, was refused, though the next day at five o'clock
in the afternoon Cowperwood made an assignment. This
was dark testimony for Cowperwood.
If any one imagines that all this was done without many
vehement objections and exceptions made and taken by Mr.
Steger, and subsequently when he was cross-examining
Mr. Stener, by Mr. Shannon, they will err greatly. The
chamber was coruscating at times with these two gentle-
men's bitter wrangles, and his honor was compelled to
hammer his desk with his gavel, and to threaten both with
contempt of court, in order to bring them to a sense of
order. Mr. Steger was most bitter in his characterization
of Mr. Shannon's motives, and finally they nearly came to
blows over the question as to whether Mr. Shannon was
a shyster, as charged by Mr. Steger. The jury was
amused and interested. Judge Payderson was highly
incensed.
"You gentlemen will have to stop this, or I tell you now
that you will both be heavily fined. This is a court of
law, not a bar-room. Mr. Steger, I expect you to apolo-
gize to me and your colleague at once. Mr. Shannon, I
must ask that you use less aggressive methods. Your
mariner is offensive to me. It is not becoming to a court
of law. I will not caution either of you again."
Both lawyers apologized as lawyers do on such occasions,
but it really made but little difference. Their individual
attitudes and moods continued about as before.
"What did he say to you," asked Mr. Shannon of Mr.
Stener, after one of these troublesome interruptions, "on
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